"Jay Swartz is an outstanding lawyer on all dimensions. Not only does he have terrific technical skills, he has great judgment and the ability to bridge the gap effectively between the law and practical business risks and decisions. On top of all that, he is a great human whose company I thoroughly enjoy."

-Steve Gunn (Sleep Country Canada), North York

"He is very experienced, great to work with, quick to respond, available 24/7 if needed, and well organized. I interviewed 10 lawyers before selecting Jay and he has never disappointed in any way."

Jay has been involved with numerous corporate restructurings, representing borrowers, lenders, investors, boards and receivers/monitors. He has been active in the establishment of numerous domestic and international funds for private equity investment in a variety of sectors, including mezzanine debt, venture capital, technology investment, distress investing and buy-out funds. In addition, Jay has been involved in all aspects of merchant banking transactions dealing with acquisitions, multi-tiered financings, equity ownership, corporate governance and employee incentive and compensation arrangements. This involved a coordination of the multidisciplinary team of legal specialists at the firm as well as other advisors.

Jay, together with other partners at the firm, has been instrumental in the development of the asset-backed securities business in Canada, having developed a variety of products to be sold to short and medium-term investors and to provide financing for mortgage receivables, lease receivables, government obligations, automobile loans, mutual fund deferred charges, car rental revenue and similar financial obligations.

In the financial products area, Jay has worked with bankers and investment dealers to develop products designed to strip and repackage corporate debt obligations, monetize future commodity production, defease corporate debt and provide tax-assisted financing for companies in financial distress. Jay has been involved in Canada's first financings secured by highway toll revenues, airport revenues and funding for school boards. In addition, Jay has been involved in numerous project financings, including several involving public sector assets. He has significant experience in bank regulatory matters and the regulation of financial institutions generally. A significant portion of this work has been related to the role of foreign banks in the Canadian banking system.

Awards:

Awarded Osgoode Hall 2014 Alumni Gold Key for outstanding professional achievement and contribution to the Canadian legal community.

Named Toronto Insolvency and Financial Restructuring Lawyer of the Year 2013 by The Best Lawyers in Canada®.

Named a Leading Lawyer in the areas of Banking & Finance and Restructuring by The Legal 500: Canada.

Recognized as a Fellow of the Insolvency Institute of Canada.

Recognized as a leading business law practitioner in Law Business Research's Who's Who Legal and Who's Who Legal: Canada in the areas of Banking and Insolvency & Restructuring.

Recognized in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers as a foremost banking and project finance legal practitioner.

Recognized as a leading practitioner in The International Who's Who of Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyers and Who's Who of Capital Markets Lawyers.

Recognized annually in Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business, since 2001, as a leading lawyer in banking and finance, and restructuring/insolvency.

Recognized by The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory as a most frequently recommended lawyer in the areas of Banking & Financial Institutions, Corporate Mid-Market and Insolvency & Financial Restructuring.

Recognized by The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory as a consistently recommended lawyer in the areas of Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing, Corporate/Commercial Law, Corporate Finance & Securities, Private Equity and Project Finance.

Recognized by The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory as a repeatedly recommended lawyer in the area of Mergers & Acquisitions.

Recognized in The Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, the Lexpert® Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-border Corporate Lawyers and Lexpert®/Thomson's Guide to Canada's 100 Most Creative Lawyers.

Recognized in the IFLR1000: Guide to the World's Leading Business Law Firms.

Recognized in the Expert Guides’ Guide to the World’s Leading Banking Finance & Transactional Lawyers in the areas of Banking, Project Finance and Structured Finance and Securitization.

Attorney Client Comments

"Jay Swartz is an outstanding lawyer on all dimensions. Not only does he have terrific technical skills, he has great judgment and the ability to bridge the gap effectively between the law and practical business risks and decisions. On top of all that, he is a great human whose company I thoroughly enjoy."

Steve Gunn, Sleep Country Canada, North York

"He is very experienced, great to work with, quick to respond, available 24/7 if needed, and well organized. I interviewed 10 lawyers before selecting Jay and he has never disappointed in any way."

"Jay is recognized as one of the preeminent business lawyers in this country. We work with Jay extensively on a wide variety of business law matters. He is able to marry complex legal issues with practical business advice. Jay has earned a reputation for his ability to deal with great integrity in tense situations rife with conflict. He has tremendous judgment and strong board room presence. He instills confidence in his clients. He is more than just a legal advisor. Jay is a trusted business advisor. He would likely be my leading choice for a challenging high profile mandate - and you can add to all of this that he is a very decent person and a pleasure to work with."

Robert Kofman, RSM Richter Inc., Toronto

"Jay is a thoughtful and brilliant advisor. He provides innovative solutions to difficult problems and is unflappable in the face of adversity. His counsel is something that his clients come to value greatly."

"Jay is a top-flight restrutcturing lawyer. Notwithstanding his high standing in the legal community, he has no ego so this makes it easy to work with him. He is respected by peers and gives level-headed, common-sense advice. He is one of the best lawyers in this field in Toronto. I am a big fan."

Peter Farkas, RSM Richter Inc., Toronto

"I have had the opportunity to work with Jay on several complex transactions and he has consistently delivered extremely high quality work. Jay is truly one of the leading and most respected lawyers in Canada. Through Jay's strong intellectual acumen, leadership, determination, and interpersonal skills, he is consistently instrumental in navigating through significant restructurings, as well as challenges encountered on new transactions. As managers of a private equity fund, we are very concerned about the Fund's interactions with our investors and their respective professionals. Jay's performance on behalf of the TD Capital has been outstanding."

Paul Liebovitz, TD Capital, Toronto

"Jay is that rare lawyer who, in addition to being an outstanding legal practitioner, also is street smart and has excellent business/commercial sense and instincts. As a result, he is able to give extremely practical and valuable strategic and tactical advice on how to do things, as well as what things do as well and how to do them. That advice covers both legal and business issues."